Not Quite That Far
by Nashumai
Summary: How could this happen? Dallas can't leave! Not to New York.... Fortunately, I agree with the gang's ideas. So I'm sending Dally somewhere else... Ohio. Rating for later chapters... dirty jokes galore.
1. Perfect Reasons

_Amaya_

Not much could be said about that little tow-headed punk, 'cept maybe that he needed a serious attitude adjustment. But he was also my friend. Yup, friend, as in he tells me secrets, I tell him secrets, we both trust each other to keep those secrets… well, you get it, right? Not that he'd ever admit it, of course. I mean, Dallas, a tough, cool 13-year-old with a reputation to uphold would never admit he was friends with the bookworm of the boondocks. 'Cause that's where we live. The boonies, where it's cold and wet and full of crazy perverted kids who have nothing better to do than crack dirty jokes.

Dallas fit right in.

Johnny didn't fit, though….

Nope, Johnny Cade had those little girls wrapped around his finger from the beginning. Johnny ruled this town.

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_Dallas_

I knew I was in trouble now. I never really meant to hurt him, I didn't think I'd stand a chance, honestly. Obviously he wasn't a very good fighter, because I was only ten, and I had taken down a thirteen-year-old. My father was already ticked about me getting a detention last Tuesday. Zoe would defend me, though.

Zoe was my stepmother. Probably the only reason (besides Mrs. Curtis and Mrs. Mathews) that I didn't cause too much trouble. But it had never gone this far. That boy's parents had filed a complaint with some official guy at the school, super- something, I guess. Then the guy came and had a talk with me, and I suppose I got a little bit spooked, 'cause next thing I know I was two blocks from the school. Police came by and picked me up. For a ten-year-old, that's pretty damn scary. I didn't cry, though - I hadn't cried since my mother had died three years ago. The door opened and I heard a familiar voice… or rather, voices. Zoe and Mrs. Curtis. My dad was probably too ticked, or even too drunk, to come get me himself. I sure was glad Zoe was my adoptive mom now. She could get me out of here.

My eyes were dead set on boring a hole into that dirty tiled floor. Even when I saw those converse that my stepmother always wore and the dressy-looking shoes of Mrs. Curtis I didn't look up. Zoe gently grabbed my hand and pulled me up, before walking towards the door. I didn't notice Ponyboy until he grabbed my other hand and grinned, looking awful funny with a missing front tooth.

Pony was going through a cuddling stage, just after he had decided that Steve would make a good role model. Steve never would say it, but he liked the idea of somebody looking up to him. And that little seven-year-old was always willing to follow Steve Randle.

We reached the parking lot. I don't even remember getting out of the building. Zoe said goodbye to Mrs. Curtis and I waved slightly in response to Pony's very enthusiastic wave_. Lucky kid_, I thought. _His old man hasn't ever touched him. _

Usually Zoe lets me sit up front, but I didn't really want to face her and her third-degree at the moment. I sat in the back and looked out the window, willing myself not to lose control and cry. There's something about my step mom that could make the best liar in the world 'fess up.

"Buckle up, Dallas. You know the rules." I met her eyes in the rearview mirror and somehow I got the feeling she wasn't just talking about seat buckles.

"Zoe, I -"

"Dallas," she sighed. "I don't know what's gotten into you lately. You were very well behaved before. What's changed? Did someone say something to you? Are you angry at me or something?" Why would she think that? The anniversary of my mother's death was only a three days away, maybe she thought I was finally rebelling against her for taking Mom's place…. Who knows? Zoe sighed again.

"Your father and I have discussed some things. We want to know your ideas about it. He thinks you need a change of scenery. I promised my father I'd come and visit for a few months. We both thought that… well, that maybe you could come with me, too."

"… where?"

"Ohio. It's a bit chilly this time of year, but it won't be too --"

"When?" She glanced into the rearview mirror.

"Three days." I immediately shook my head. I always, _always_ visited mother up in Enid on the thirtieth of August.

"Dallas, we can go see your mother on the way, and we can stay as long as you like. Please, Dallas. I lost my mother too… my dad thinks it's really important to keep up her old traditions. One of them was to have all the kids and grandkids visit for a little while, like an extended reunion. You know I think of you as my son… I know I'll never be your mother, but I really want you to meet them. Please?"

I frowned. "What about my friends? Johnny especially. I mean, he doesn't have anyone to watch out for him." What confused me now is the fact that she actually smiled.

"Johnny can come with us. I knew Leanna Cade in high school. She already agreed to let him come with us." All I could do was gape at her. Zoe thought of everything, man. Finally I nodded slowly. Steve had his mom. Keith had his. Darry, Sodapop, and Pony had both of their parents. Johnny had Zoe, Mrs. Curtis, Keith's mom, and the rest of the boys, when he didn't have his own parents. I couldn't wait to tell him we were going to Ohio for the next few months.

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_Third Person_

Ponyboy and his mother walked into their house at three- fifteen P.M. to the sound of Mickey Mouse and a group of rowdy boys. Pony squealed happily and tackled Steve Randle, who ruffled his hair and tagged him. Grinning, the ten-year-old ran out the back door, then ran around front and came back into the kitchen with his pursuer left confused in the back yard. Sodapop, Darryl, Keith, and Johnny were all in the kitchen already, watching Mr. Curtis bake a cake. This happened to be a favorite hobby of theirs.

Mrs. Curtis sat down and watched the little boys chatting happily while her husband went to use the restroom. Ponyboy had finally given up and walked back in, sitting in his mother's lap, after gaping at Steve for a few minutes, of course. Johnny, who was sitting next to her, turned to Mrs. Curtis.

"What happened to Dallas, Mrs. Curtis?" She opened her mouth to reply, but the hyper child in her lap beat her to it.

"Dallas got in trouble, and he went home with 'Oey." (Ponyboy couldn't say Zoe properly.) "The coppers came and got him." For once in the Curtis home there was instant silence. Soda and Steve stopped trying to poke each other in favor of staring at Mrs. Curtis. Keith stared, too, with his hand resting on the dog's head. Johnny's eyes got big over his chocolate milk bubbles as he looked at the woman he considered practically a second mother.

Mr. Curtis picked that moment to walk into the kitchen. The silence worried him. Their home hadn't been silent for thirteen years. He cleared his throat. "Virginia? Are the boys ill?" This launched Ponyboy into another explanation of the day's events. Virginia nodded when her husband gave her a look, as if for confirmation of what their son was telling him. After an awkward silence, Soda spoke, "So… what's gonna happen to Dally?" Darrel Curtis Sr. looked at his middle child.

"Now what makes you think -" Virginia stopped him before he could finish.

"Dallas might be leaving for a little while. Zoe is taking him to see her family, and he'll be there until school is out." For a while nobody said anything, nobody moved. Steve slowly looked down at his shoes, and Keith bit his lip and absently stroked the dog. Johnny looked quietly at the table. _Dallas is leaving?_ he thought. Dallas was like his brother, he couldn't leave! He blinked, trying not to cry. Pony didn't seem to care who saw or heard him and was hugging his mother, crying a bit louder than Soda, who was also trying not to show it. Soda had always been emotional like that.

Johnny wiped his eyes, but still stared at the table. "Mrs. Curtis," he began, his voice quivering. "Where's Dally going?" Silently he hoped that it wasn't too far….

"Before his dad talked to Zoe, he was going to New York," Everybody's head snapped up at that news. Keith gaped at her. That was much, much too far for their liking. "but… now he's going to Ohio. That's where Aunt Olivia lives, Soda.," Soda shut his mouth, then shook his head. That was still too far.

The boys had to stop them from taking Dallas. It was a silent agreement around the table. Soda and Steve looked at each other, then looked at Keith. Looking as determined as an eleven- year- old can, he nodded. Ponyboy nodded from his mother's lap, feeling important. Johnny looked up, feeling the stares, and nodded as well. Now all they needed was Darryl's help. If anyone knew how to stop this, he did.

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_Darry_

Before you all think I was a bad person, let me explain the situation: I had just gotten home from football practice, had every intention of sleeping until dinner, and was not in the mood for five young boys to be in my room at that time. There, so I had perfect reason to do the following.

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM BEFORE I TELL MOM!" SLAM!

See, perfect reason, right? My brothers are very used to this, though. Those kids are too persistent for their own good. After they explained the situation, I was, of course, willing to help. They had a simple, basic, to- the- point plan: hide Dallas until Zoe leaves. Nice plan, besides the fact that it wouldn't work. When I told them this, Pony, the stubborn kid that he is, stamped his foot and yelled at me that it would work, and I was a big meanie. In all reality, I knew the truth. Dallas was leaving, nothing we could do would change that. So I told them to let me think. I thought, really I did! For almost two days.

Dallas himself interrupted me when he came into my room on the second day, nearly sobbing.

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_Alright, I don't think I've heard this idea on Might be here, might not. Anyhow, I'd love your input on this. So please review… thank you._

_Peace, love, and pixie stix, _

_Nash_


	2. Beachballs

_Darry_

I stared at him. Dallas wasn't crying, not yet, anyhow. (I suppose he hadn't cried in years. Not since his mom died - I couldn't imagine losing my mother.) Lemme tell you, he sure looked close to bawling. Poor kid. He came over and sat on my bed, shaking like a leaf and pale. If I had mentioned anything to Dal, he would've probably hit me, but I thought he looked scared… almost like a normal ten- year- old.

Me and Dallas had been kind of close. Not best buddies, of course, but I thought he was a tough, tuff kid. But he was still a boy. Seeing him on the edge of my bed right now, I realized that he was just a kid. Sitting up, I put my arm around his shoulders and held him like my dad had done when our first dog had been run over. I silently hoped it would help a little bit. I was no good at emotional moments.

That must have helped, though, because next thing I know, I had a little blonde kid sleeping in my bed, tearstreaks on his face and not a word spoken.

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_Johnny_

My mom had probably had all she could take of me… I was bouncing around my room, asking if I needed certain things, if she was sure I needed that. You know, being a normal little kid getting ready to go on a trip. Even though she was telling me I should calm down quite a lot, I could tell she was happy for me. See, my father isn't all that nice. Momma protects me from him, but sometimes he gets mad at her for doing that, and he beats me anyhow.

But now I was going away… really, really, really far away! Dallas is going too. He doesn't want to, though. He'd miss the gang too much. So will I. Even if I'm going, the other guys are like our brothers. Neither one of us has ever had a baby brother, but we have five brothers around here. The only reason I wasn't so much against going as Dallas was because of my father. Dally's dad sometimes hit him, but Zoe always got him to stop. My father didn't listen to Mom.

"Mom, should I -" Mom put her hand over my mouth and smiled.

"Johnny, I will be sure to pack everything you need, no more, no less. Now, do you want to take Og?" Og was my stuffed dog, from when I was first born. I couldn't say 'dog' right, so his name was Og. In answer to my mom's question, I grabbed him and put him in my backpack. Zoe said we could take a backpack of stuff for the ride over there. Mom smiled even bigger at me. Og had been hers, but she wouldn't tell me what she had called him. She said Og was his name now, and when I got married (Ew!) and had my own kids (More ew!) I could give Og to them and they'd give him a new name. I still thought girls were gross.

Even though my mom was happy for me, and even though I was really looking forward to taking this trip, nine months away seemed like a long time. And in a new school, too! Not to mention I was worried about Mama. Leaving her here alone with _him_ scared me. Looking back at it now, I realize that I always thought I had kept Mama from getting hurt too bad, 'cause _he_ would always get mad if I cried when he hurt my mom. So every time he went after her I started crying, just to keep her from getting hurt too bad. And the longer I cried the less he focused on her and the madder he got at me. I thought it was pretty logical myself.

The boys didn't take it too well when they heard I was going too. Pony started crying, and I felt bad, almost changed my mind, because I hated to see him cry. But good ole Steve started playing with him and he stopped. Sodapop kept looking away from me and Dallas. The other boys didn't say or do anything different really, but they looked at me and Dal all weird-like. I'm still not positive about this, but I think Ohio would be okay.

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_Leanna Cade's POV_

I sure was gonna miss my baby. Nine months away? He was scared, I knew. Not just because he was going to a new place so far away, either. He was scared of what would happen to me. Johnny's a sweet boy… I've never known him to be selfish. It was kind of funny, those few days before he left, because I kept thinking about when I had waited nine months to see him. At least this time I wouldn't look like I had swallowed a beach ball. He had been a cute little beach ball, though; I had grown up withJohnny's friends' mothers, and it was an inside joke that we all had cute little beach balls (or watermelons, as was the case for Virginia.) But he'd just turned nine... and he was already going hundreds of miles from home...

At least he'll be back for his tenth birthday.

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_Alright, it's short... freakin' microscopic, really. But oh, well. Not many people seem interested in this anyhow. _

_I also still need volunteers for my other story. If you've ever seen 'Yours, Mine, and Ours' it'll be something like that... including Johnny as one of the 18. So I need 16 more, because I already have one wonderful person who volunteered. :D Yay! I need to know:_

_**Name:**_

_**Gender: (Only if it's a unisex name. IE: Tyler, Logan, Leslie, Jackie, etc...If it's obvious don't worry about it.)**_

_**Age: **_

_**Race:**_

_**Eyes:**_

_**Hair:**_

**_Relations: (I might make some of these characters related by marriage or cousins or something. I also mean to list which family from 'Yours, Mine, and Ours' you want to be part of. Go to _yours mine and ours movie dot com_. No spaces.)_**

_**Personality: (Lots lots LOTS of detail please... thanks. :P)**_

_**Favorites: (I would like to know favorite band, song, movie, actor from present or past, doesn't matter for any of them, color, person in their life, and hobby.)**_

_I'd like to keep it as close to the movie as possible, so if I don't have it posted how many of each gender I have in the family, make sure there's not too many for the one you want. (Or change your character's gender.) I still need four girls, five boys for Helen North's family, and two girls, six boys for Frank Beardsley's family._

_Peace, love, and pixie stix,  
Nash_


	3. Our Babies

_Dallas_

Twenty-six hours. _Twenty-six hours! _Ugh. We were leaving at six, stopping in to visit my mother's grave and driving all the way to Illinois in _one day_. Then we had to drive all the way to the topmost corner of Ohio to stay in this itty-bitty town called Greenwich. Zoe kept stressing that it's spelled the same as the village in New York, but pronounced 'green-witch.' What kind of freaks does it take to call a town Green-witch? But I'll go along with it. Johnny says it's a tuff name for a little town.

"Besides," he'd told me earlier, "some kid in Greenwich is probably wondering how Tulsa got named… how did Tulsa get its name, anyhow?"

I didn't know, of course. Neither did Zoe. But she was a Green-witch girl until High School (she moved out here to stay with her grandma when her mom died, I guess.) I annoyed her the morning we left by making up names for people from Green-witch. Green-witchers. Green-Witches. Green-Wizards. Green-Lizards! At this point she stopped me and told me to get my stuff in the car or I was sitting in the trunk. (She also banned me from eating pixie stix, but I'm just naturally hyper in the morning. Being nervous made it worse.)

When we were all ready, Zoe told me to get Johnny. I ran down the road to his place and walked in. Mrs. Cade told me I didn't have to knock if Mr. Cade wasn't home, so I never did. Johnny was laying down on the couch, probably trying to go back to sleep. His mom was in the kitchen making lunch sandwiches. I grinned at her and went over to Johnny. Hehe. Johnnycake wasn't a morning person. He was much more of a night-owl, even for a little kid. John got mean and ornery and stubborn in the mornings, really unlike himself. It was like we switched roles in the day; he acted hyper at night-time, I only acted like that in the morning; he was a grump in the morning, and if I didn't get to sleep fast enough at night I got real cranky. We were both pretty mellow in the day time, though. I thought he was funny when he woke up too early.

So I poked him.

Repeatedly.

Until he kicked me in the side, which hurt. Glory, but he was cranky! "Johnny?" I shook him lightly. "C'mon, man, we're leaving in a little while. You wanna say goodbye to the rest of the guys?" Johnny jumped up, yawned, and walked out the door, leaving me there to wonder just how odd my friends were. I ran after him, towards the Curtis house. They'd be up. Steve and Keith had probably stayed overnight. I'd wanted to, but my father said I couldn't, same with Johnny's. So this was the last time we'd see them until summer. I'd miss 'em. They were my brothers.

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_Johnny_

I felt a little bad for kicking Dal like I had. Just a little. Mornings were not good things for me. They needed to drop off the face of the earth. But I was going to miss the gang, and my mom, and Mr. and Mrs. Curtis, and Mrs. Matthews, and Mrs. Randle. Oh, and probably Mrs. Shepard. She used to baby-sit me when Mom had to work. She was really nice. But I'd already said goodbye to her, so now the gang was my main worry. I mean, glory, they were my brothers, my best friends! Yeah, we'd see each other again… but we'd all have changed. Ponyboy especially. He was just a little kid, and they change real easy. He'd probably have his tooth back by next summer….

It was freezing outside, at five in the morning. Made me wish I had remembered my jacket. Dallas was jogging to catch up with me. He's so _disgustingly_ cheerful and hyper in the morning. It's horrible. But at least he's not all mushy about us leaving the guys behind. My mom, and the Curtises (mainly Mrs. Curtis and Sodapop), and then Mrs. Mathews were all so darn emotional. That really didn't help the situation for me. Thank goodness Mrs. Shepard just congratulated me and Dal. But I can't blame 'em. They're all natural mothers (and Soda is just overly emotional about some things.)

Finally we got to the Curtis house, me shivering slightly and Dallas humming some tune I'd never heard. As soon as I stepped onto the porch I was pretty much attacked by none other than Keith Mathews. He moved on to crush Dallas and another (smaller) person hugged me. Ponyboy. Pony was hugging me, not crushing me, but it still didn't seem like he wanted to let go. Whenever Ponyboy wasn't trailing Steve, he was following me or Soda. He was really a sweet little kid. Pony tugged on my shirt and I looked down at him. He handed me a book; a journal, actually. On the inside was a picture of the whole family (meaning all of us boys, the Curtises, Mrs. Mathews, Emily - Keith's sister, my mom, Steve's mom, Zoe, and Fish - the dog,) that had been taken almost two months ago on the fourth of July.

In the picture, Keith was laughing at Dally who was covering his ears (I think that was because Keith said he had elf-ears, or something.) Steve was tickling Ponyboy, who kept trying to hide behind me to escape. I was trying to get away from Darry, who was messing up my hair. Emily kept trying to hold me still, and laughed when she couldn't (she was only six). Soda had his arms around his mom's neck from behind, his chin on her head, both grinning at the camera. My mom, along with Keith's and Steve's, were sitting beside Mrs. Curtis. They were half-turned, laughing at us and Zoe, who was trying to get the Frisbee back from Fish. Mr. Curtis was trying to help the dog, and even then, I think Zoe was winning. It was the greatest day I had ever had in my life, corny as that sounds. I grinned down at Pony.

"Mommy got it for you. She got one for Dally, too. It gots a different picture, though. He gots a picture of his birthday party," I remembered that too. Pony had cake everywhere, along with Emily. She's giving us our best memories, I thought.

I hugged him, and the rest of the boys, at least five times each. Then I went looking for Mrs. Curtis. I hugged her as well, burying my face in her shirt. I just started crying then, for no apparent reason, really. She rubbed circles on my back and hugged me tightly. I felt a little better, but the amount of time I'd be away had finally hit me like a brick, and it scared me a bit.

I thought I'd be alright, though.

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_Zoe_

My husband was nowhere to be found, which I cannot honestly say surprised me. Actually, the only reason I married him was because of that little boy. I fell in love with Dallas, not Cody. He was sweet, maybe not innocent, but sweet nonetheless. I think he hated me for a long time. I knew his mom. Dallas has her heart. It's a shame he inherited Cody's looks and temper.

I had finished packing the bags into my car, including the ones Leanna had brought over for Johnny. She was real attached to her baby. John was the only child she'd ever be able to have, unfortunately. Leanna couldn't carry anymore. I felt kind of bad, but I knew the other boys made up for her lack of children, just like they did for me. All of them were all of our babies.

I decided to leave the car at our house and walk over to the Curtises. On the way, I met up with Allyson Randle. She and I had never gotten along much in High School. Probably because my grandmother had been technically classified as a Soc, therefore making me a Soc. Allyson was a Greaser, as were a lot of my friends. Now we got along okay, and all because of our boys being friends.

"You're going to be tired as anything driving all day," she said, smiling. "Especially with those boys."

I laughed. "Yeah, I just have to remember to hide the caffeine and sugar is all. I think Dallas already found it. Or do you think it's just his morning mood?"

"Dallas being hyper? That's his morning mood, sweets. He's been that way for as long as I can remember. Good luck, by the way, getting Johnny up tomorrow morning," Ally winked at me and walked into the house. Leanna and Ilene were already there. Ilene was Keith's mother. From what I could tell, Keith had her sense of humor, his father's grin, and an insane logic that was all his own. I knew Ilene's husband, though, and I knew their marriage had been rocky from day one. Once I caught Keith talking with Dallas about his parents, and how he didn't want them to split up. He didn't want to have to choose between them. It was sad, how old he sounded. An eleven-year-old shouldn't sound like that.

I spent the next half-hour talking and answering questions. Most of them were from Steve, and a few made me laugh.

"What town did you live in?"

"Greenwich."

"Why's it called that?"

"Because my aunt used to live there. Nobody really liked my aunt."

"How come you're going back?"

"Because it's a tradition my mother started when my oldest brother got married. Every year the family members who can come out and visit for a few months."

"How old is your brother?"

"Thirty-eight."

"How old is your dad?"

"Fifty-seven."

"How old are you?"

"Steve!"

"It's okay, Allyson. I'm thirty-two."

"Oh, you're not that old, then."

"Thank you, Sodapop."

"You're welcome."

I was going to miss those kids. No matter what, between Soda and Keith alone, they'd have you laughing like nothing else. And Steve, he loved to ask questions. You could tell him anything, really. And Darry. Well, Darry was just Darry. You had to love him for trying to act like an adult and a kid both at the same time. Ponyboy was just cute beyond belief. And he'd give you a hug anytime you asked him. Or, you know, anytime he thought you looked like you needed one. Like I said, they were my boys. You had to love them.

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_Okay, short, yes, I know, thank you! Sheesh, I'm sorry! But at least I did update, right? If you think I'm slow now, I'm sorry to tell you you'll be waiting for a lot longer after the 27th of August. School starts the 28th. Bleh. Anyhow, sorry again. Review, if you don't hate me. Flame if you do, but make it constructive. Stupid non-constructive flamers coughmoontartcough Lol. I'll try to get another update up here soon! Promise!_

_Peace, love, and pixie stix,  
__Nash_


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